Africa EV aCar going into serial production 2019

The EV designed by the Technical University of Munich to operate in Africa will go into serial production by Evum Motors, which was founded as part of the project.

1,000 vehicles are planned for the first year, which will be sold within Europe. As of 2020, the vehicle could be produced by partners in development countries. In Europe, the car will cost 22,000 euros, while the cost for developing nations will be 10,000 euros.

The vehicle was initially introduced as a prototype in 2016, which was created under the premise of an electric vehicle for African environmental conditions, as well as provide the maximum utility to locals. This means it was designed with agricultural and economic purposes in mind. With this target in mind, ,researchers from the TU Munich worked on the designs for four years with some cooperation partners. After testing in Ghana, the team presented an updated version of the vehicle at the IAA 2017. Now, one year later, the team is no longer only focusing on Africa, instead considering applications and markets around the world, from Brazil to Indonesia, as well as Europe, where the team hopes to supply farmers or forest authorities.

Regarding technical specifications of the 2017 concept, it is clear that the vehicle was not designed to have high top speeds or a spectacular range, but instead focusing on a high load capacity, simple maintenance and functionality on difficult terrain. The AWD transporter has a battery capacity of 20 kWh for an electric range of 80 km. The vehicle can be charged to full capacity from a regular socket in about seven hours.

electrive.net (In German)